If you are a healthcare worker in Canada and have been working in the healthcare industry for at least one year and you are not yet a Canadian permanent resident, there is a pathway to permanent residency for healthcare workers inside Canada that you can take advantage of. There is a specific immigration pathway for healthcare workers inside Canada.
If you are a registered nurse or a licensed practical nurse, a personal support worker, a doctor, a chiropractor, or generally in the healthcare service industry in Canada and are still a temporary resident, the public policy temporary resident to permanent resident pathway provides a good opportunity for you to become a Canadian permanent resident.
Public Policy Temporary Resident To Permanent Pathway
The temporary resident to permanent pathway, otherwise known as the TR to PR pathway, was launched by the government of Canada in May 2021 and will remain open until 5th November 2021. At the time the program was launched, there were immigration options for multiple categories of persons including persons who were essential workers, but who were not in healthcare industry.
In addition, there was also another stream launched for 40,000 graduates from post-secondary institutions inside Canada and 30,000 for non-healthcare essential workers that have all been filled up. The TR to PR pathway for healthcare workers was capped at 20,000 applications, however, only just under 3600 applications have been submitted as of 15th August 2021. As such, there are still about 16000 slots available to persons working in the healthcare industry inside Canada.
This is a huge opportunity for persons to become Canadian permanent residents under this particular program. It is worth noting that there are a number of eligibility requirements for a person to qualify under the TR to PR pathway for healthcare workers.
Healthcare Workers
The first eligibility requirement under this program is that you must be a healthcare worker inside Canada. If you are a healthcare provider outside of Canada, this does not apply to you and you would not be eligible. Additionally, this program applies to persons who are living outside of the province of Quebec.
Employment
Secondly, you must also have valid immigration status inside Canada such as a work permit or a visitors record for persons who have worked in Canada previously. The third requirement is that you must also be currently employed in Canada which means that you must have a job at the time of submitting your application. Notably, to have a job, you must have a valid work permit. However, you do not necessarily need to be currently employed in a healthcare occupation and so, you could be employed in another type of job.
Work Experience
The fourth critical requirement that you must meet is that in addition to being currently employed, you need to have had at least one year of work experience or at least 1560 hours in the last three years in one of the listed eligible healthcare occupations. If you were working on one of the designated healthcare jobs, you must have been performing all of the essential duties that are listed under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code for that job.
The Canadian government uses the NOC code system to identify different job types by assigning codes and duties to each and every job occupation in Canada. The role of a registered nurse, for instance, will have very specific duties that the government expects that such a person is likely going to be doing or at least doing a significant number of those duties. Therefore, if you are working in Canada as a registered nurse, the expectation is that you would be performing at least a majority of the main duties listed under the NOC.
In other words, you must be performing the kind of duties that would ordinarily be associated with your occupation but they must to a great extent be the main types of duties listed in the lead statement of the NOC under your job type. Ultimately, you must have at least one year of experience and the experience must be in one of the designated eligible job types.
Language Requirement
The fifth requirement is the language requirement. You must prove that you meet the minimum requirement in an English language test or a French-language test if you are a French speaker. The minimum requirement is a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level four. Therefore, you must sit a language test and must score at a level four in order to be eligible. Once you have sat the test and met the minimum requirement, you will then include the results in your application.
Listed Job Types
The TR to PR pathway for healthcare workers program applies to a long list of specific job types. The eligible healthcare workers include nursing coordinators or supervisors, registered nurses, doctors, general practitioners, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors among other types of healthcare practitioners.
Other listed occupations are in health, diagnostics and treatment practitioners, pharmacists, dieticians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, lab technologists, respiratory therapists, sonographers, dentists, opticians, massage therapists, dental assistants, nurse’s aides, orderlies, patient service associates, psychologists, social workers, marriage counselors, health policy researchers, community service workers, home support workers, housekeepers, and other many related occupations. It is an extensive list that covers a wide range of healthcare workers.
Conclusion
If you are currently inside Canada but living outside of the province of Quebec and working for at least one year in one of the listed healthcare professions and you are not yet a Canadian permanent resident, you should consider submitting an application under the public policy temporary resident to permanent resident pathway before the stream closes on 5th November 2021 or before all available slots are filled
Let Us Help
If you are a healthcare worker inside Canada and you are interested in applying for Canadian permanent residency under the public policy temporary resident to permanent resident pathway, we are happy to assist you to put together the required documentation for your application.
Should you have any questions or inquiries about the TR to PR stream, we are available to provide the best professional advice. Please feel free to reach out to us. Book a call with us today.
